Eternal Legends
by Ruthie of the Wildcats
Summary: When the three Legendary Beasts of the Johto region are killed, they must find a way to restore the delicate balance of power before the Pokémon world comes apart.
1. Prologue: Gathering Shadows

1**Legends are eternal. They do not die.**

**But suppose that legends were not eternal. Suppose they could die. Suppose they did. **

**There are balances in the world, balances that need to be kept, lest the world come apart. And legends are a part of this balance.**

**Full Summary:**** When Johto's legendary trio are killed, the balance of the Pokmon world is thrown off. They are reborn by Ho-Oh into human bodies to keep things in order. But when they must return to their Pokémon bodies, they find themselves too attached to human life. How can the balance be maintained?**

**Setting:**** Johto**

**Warning****: This chapter contains a lot of blood and angst. If such things offend you, then do not continue reading this chapter.**

The air was icy cold, filled with the metallic odor of snow, and ringing with human cries and feral snarls. The sky was a mottled, cloudy gray that hid the bleeding red of the swiftly setting sun. A stiff, chill wind picked up and gusted through the bare trees, their branches brown and curved like the antlers of rutting Stantler. The branches rattled together, furthering to image as they became locked and tangled together. Another wind would soon spring them apart, only to have the next wind tangle them right back up again. The dead, brown woods clumped together thickly as they stretched away from the Tin Tower of Ecruteak City, then yielded to a small clearing a few miles away.

It was in this clearing that the legends of the Johto region would die.

The frigid, dry air of midwinter was alive, crackling with bolts of fierce energy and ringing with loud barks. Rocket grunts and admins alike surrounded three burly Pokémon with net guns and mechas at the ready. Ragged, panting breaths of man and best alike rose into the air in clouds of white smoke. No one moved, although the muddy and bloodstained snow that covered the ground in a rumpled blanket said this was a new development. It was a standoff now.

"This is all my fault," growled Raikou as the slender Suicune beside him bent to lick the wound on his leg.** (1)** He shifted his weight onto his other three legs slowly and painfully. The bristly, quill-like fur on his body was spattered with mud and was drying into stiff spikes all over. He clenched his teeth as Suicune started to lick, and his eyes narrowed in pain. "I shouldn't have called for help...I should have kept you safe. If I hadn't called you, you would still be safe..."

Suicune lifted her head and shook it firmly. He ruby eyes were soft and gentle as she gazed at Raikou. "That's not true," she insisted. "Little brother, you needed us, and we came. And at any rate, if they had captured you, it would have been only a matter of time before they came after us."

"She's right," Entei rumbled. He stood straight and tall, a tower of fearless strength. His head was turned away from the other two beasts, to hide his nervously flicking eyes. His thick, shaggy pelt stood up on his shoulders and back, and the silver mantle billowing out behind him flapped in the breeze. "We couldn't leave you to face them alone."

"Besides, we only need to hold out for a little longer," Suicune added comfortingly. "It will be dark soon, and their night vision is terrible. Soon it will be dark enough that they can't shoot at us, for fear of hitting their teammates. Then we can make our escape. We'll just wait. It won't be long now."

The three legendary beasts stood together patiently, pressing close to each other for warmth and support. None said it, but they were all secretly glad to be together again, even if it was in such a dangerous situation. The three shared a distinct tie to each other and were bound by the ties of familial love. In a past life, they had been three separate entities, together only for survival and companionship. They were family now, siblings reborn of compassion from the rainbow-winged bird of Johto. Separation was hard on them all, but for safety, they had been forced apart.

"We're on our own now," Entei murmured. "We are together, but we are so alone. Ho-Oh will not come to our rescue now. We...we are alone here." As he spoke, a bold grunt released a Raticate. Suicune reached around and dispatched the rat-like Pokémon with a quick blast of bubbles. Raikou shuddered. His fur was not made for the cold. His pelt was thin and fine, so as to give him freedom of movement as he raced the summer lightning.

In fact, his whole body was made for running. His legs were long to carry him far and fast, ending in thick claws to help him grip the earth as he sprinted. The thundercloud mane that streamed behind him was comprised of tightly curled hairs that did not bounce around when he ran. His facial crests were smooth and sleek to keep him streamlined. The flat spade at the end of his short tail acted as a rudder to keep him balanced and helped him to steer in mid-stride. The fur of his thin pelt was needle-like, so that it would not hold heat and would help him stay cool as he ran for hours at a time.

Suicune pressed closer to him. Like her brother, her pelt was made of short, fine hairs, but their purpose was different. The hollow hairs were warm in cold, Northern lands, trapping warmed air in to her body. Her flowing mane was long and thick, and could be used as a blanket on freezing nights. On the whole, she was built in such a way as to always stay warm. "Ho-Oh does not need to come to our rescue, brother," she told Entei. "The sun will set soon, and—"

She broke off there, because as she was still speaking, the Rocketeers turned on a series of brilliant spot lights that fell over the three beasts. The sun had not even fully set yet. The Rocketeers were just erring on the side of caution to keep their prey right where they wanted it. The light bounced around what little white snow there was, producing a harsh glare that all but blinded Raikou and Entei. Suicune, with her narrow eyes adapted to the snowy North, retained her powers of sight. She sighed. "This may be a little more difficult than we first thought."

Blinking hard, Entei squinted down at her. "A little?" he repeated curiously. "Sister, I think you may be a little too optimistic. I think this narrows our chances of escape to virtually zero. We would have to fight our way out now, and with Raikou injured, and you and me exhausted, that might be impossible." He shook his head. "I don't think there is any way for us to get out of this."

Raikou jerked his head up sharply, his eyes squeezed tightly shut to ward off the painful blasts of light that made his head throb in agony. He turned to his two siblings and opened them slowly. "There is a way," he barked in a grave voice. "There is a way we can get out of this disaster."

"Tell us!" Suicune's eyes lit up happily. She gave Raikou a look of warm pride and love. This was her little brother, the one who she had always protected and coddled. She loved him dearly and hung on his every word. "Tell us, little brother." Entei nodded encouragingly, his eyes smoldering with anticipation and hope.

"We must die here."

The words rang through the frosty, blindingly bright air like a death knell. The hope that had begun to burn in the eyes and bellies of Suicune and Entei was viciously extinguished with a dying hiss. The two beasts looked at each other and let out twin, shaky sighs. Then, turning back to their younger brother, Entei growled, "Explain."

"We belong to Johto." Raikou forced himself to stand tall despite the throbbing in his leg. He looked Entei in the eyes, his heart pounding fearfully. He had to stretch his neck up to meet those burning red eyes of his older brother. His legs were trembling fiercely. "We do not belong to these villains. We belong to Johto. If we allow ourselves to be captured here, we will belong to them, and they will command our powers. But if we die here, no one could take our powers for their own use. We would still belong to Johto, even in death." He swallowed audibly. "We m-must die here, brother Entei."

As soon as Raikou had closed his mouth, the three beasts pressed close together, shaking hard. The Thunder Pokémon's words had rung true in all their hearts. They knew it was the only way to escape, but it was an idea too painful for them to grasp fully. Entei thought of when they had been reborn, how the joy of their togetherness had overcome even his craggy heart. He had felt the pain of their separation poignantly. He had longed to meet up with the other two, and when their paths had occasionally crossed, there had been untold joy. They had wrestled and cuddled together, sharing meals and sleeping side by side. There had been playful digs at Entei for being so noble, at Suicune for being so light-hearted, at Raikou for being the smallest. He loved his sister and his brother with all his heart.

What drove him mad was the knowledge that Team Rocket would not kill him and his siblings there. No, they were power-hungry. They had sought the power of only one legend, but instead had would up with all three to their delight and surprise. Entei hated them, he hated all humans at that moment. He hated those who wanted power with such burning passion that the snow at his paws boiled as it melted away. He felt the angry rage of a blocked volcano swell within his veins. If they allowed their powers to be harnessed by humans, they would no longer be legends, but tools. They, as legends, would die.

Team Rocket would not kill the legends. In their hands the legends would not die. What Raikou had suggested, what their only escape was, was for the legends to kill each other.

He stepped back, distancing himself a few feet from his younger brother. Raikou was the smallest of the three, and Entei was the largest. "Brother," he thundered. "I...I am sorry it has come to this. But you're right. We belong to Johto." Raikou nodded.

A silent, crystalline tear slid down Suicune's cheek as she saw her two brothers begin building up their courage to fight to the end. She stepped back, lowering her head and setting her sights on Entei. She was closer to his size than Raikou, and it would be he who she fought. "I only wish it didn't have to end this way," she whispered sadly. Raikou turned his head to her, and she saw in his eyes the beginnings of a killer's stare. They looked from one to another, their eyes all pleading that this was not the only way out. Silently, as if on some unheard cue, they closed their eyes as one and bowed their heads. "Forgive me, brothers," Suicune choked out. "I love you, but...I must."

"I love you as well," Raikou murmured.

"Farewell...Sweet Suicune...Dearest Raikou..." Entei lifted his head, his red eyes blazing. He opened his mouth to reveal fangs like shattered diamonds and bellowed. Raikou bared his long, tusk-like eyeteeth and gave a yelp like the crashing of thunder. Suicune loosed thin, dangerously pointed claws and hissed like the icy winds around them. "Raikou! En garde!!" Entei roared in the voice of an erupting volcano.

And with that, he flew at his younger brother, shoving aside memories of lounging in the sun waiting for Suicune to arrive. Raikou's eyes widened fearfully, and he swerved to the side to try and avoid a direct blow. He buried his long teeth in Suicune's white throat, blotting out thoughts of the day when he had lovingly licked that soft, white fur. Blood, red and hot, sprayed out of the wound, coating his crested face in a sticky tide. Suicune let out a pained, breathless howl and lashed out with her claws at Entei. They snagged in his thick fur, leaving her tangled up. Entei pressed his paws down on Raikou's neck and started to squeeze.

The Rocketeers were silent, watching in awe as the three legends of Johto turned on each other with fangs and claws. A few had frozen with Pokéballs clasped in hand, their mouths open, their eyes wide. No one dared to move, although they knew they should be trying to break it up. No one wanted to stop the fight, even though they knew it would mean they could never hope to capture the legends. They watched and waited.

Entei squeezed, intent on throttling his brother to death. He couldn't bring himself to see blood—Raikou's blood—on his paws, or to taste on its tongue. He gritted his teeth together to keep a roar of horror from escaping his deep chest. Raikou held onto Suicune's throat, blinded by the burning blood in his eyes. Suicune still struggled to free herself from Entei's thick pelt, her needle claws flicking over his flanks again and again. They were locked in the struggle of life and death, and death was the only outcome.

Raikou fell first. Entei felt a slow, crumbling sensation beneath his paws and heard the grating noise of neck bones being crushed under his great weight. His breath came in ragged, harsh gasps, and he kept telling himself that he must, he must make sure his brother fell quickly. He poured every ounce of his strength into his forepaws and crushed his little brother's neck between his paws like a brittle piece of shell. Raikou gave a short gasp, and his blood-smeared eyes widened briefly, giving him the appearance of one in perfect, unfeigned surprise. Those bright eyes, eyes that had once glittered with so many emotions, slowly clouded over, and the Legendary Beast of Thunder fell down dead.

As Raikou fell, his fangs, still embedded in his sister's throat, tore loose, taking most of Suicune's neck with them. Blood sprayed out with every erratic beat of her death-frenzied heart, falling on the fallen legend's yellow, matted fur in crimson drops. The Aurora Pokémon let out a gasping, choking cry, her eyes bulging as she gasped for breath. The normally immaculate white fur on her chest was soaked in red. She staggered for footing, but with her claws still snared in Entei's shaggy fur, she could not balance. She fell over beside Raikou, her chest heaving for air. Entei watched it for a brief instant, his eyes following every frenzied heave. Then she was still. The Legendary Beast of the North Wind was dead.

Entei's heart froze. He was left alive, alone, without his brother or sister. He alone was left to face the hated humans. He prepared to let himself loose on them, venting the fury that had forced him to kill his only family, when suddenly his paws began to slip. Suicune's claws were still tangled in his thick hair, and as she fell, she was pulling him down with her. He saw the sweeping crest on her forehead, raised like a shard of ice against the jagged battlefield, and knew that it would be his end. He fell, collapsing overtop his sister's crest. It pierced his unguarded stomach, and Entei felt blood—his blood—soak his hind legs in a hot wave. He rolled away from her and lay between his dead siblings. The damage was done. He would die soon enough.

Over his head, the clouds broke, and a full moon began to shine brightly down upon the three victims. Entei gazed up at it, his eyes rapidly slipping in and out of focus, his vision darkening. He panted hard for air, feeling it freeze his lungs painfully, and he drew in one last breath. "Ho-Oh..." he rasped out. "I...I am s...sorry...We...we-we-we wa-wasted...your gi...gift. P...Please...accept...our...sac...ri...fice..." His eyes narrowed and began to cloud over as he let out the remainder of his dying breath. His chest heaved no more. The Legendary Beast of the Volcano was dead.

At that instant, every spotlight died, even though the batteries inside were brand new. The moon above began to eclipse rapidly. It would later be noted that a normal eclipse takes hours—this one went from full to new in under a minute—and that no eclipses were scheduled to occur for years. A shrill cry ripped through the night air, mournful and fiercely angry, which echoed through the ears of every Rocketeer present that night. The moon stayed dark for a few minutes, then ran through its phases so quickly it seemed to go right back to full without any regard for first, second, or third quarter intervals. The wind picked up, stirring the blood-matted pelts of the three dead legends.

And a small voice hissed through the clearing, venomous and vengeful. It uttered a single word: _Cursed._

**Okay, I did warn you. I said this would be really angsty and gory. But please, this is just the prologue. That means that this story has to be going somewhere, right? Right. Besides, the Johto legendaries were the last ones that actually made any sense. I wouldn't kill them off forever. Stay tight, and the first chapter will be here with a little more optimism. Or you could be totally disgusted with me and never look at this story again.**

**It's your choice. Choose wisely.**

**(1) The legendaries are genderless in the games. However, in this story, they will have specific genders. Trust me, it will make everything a whole lot easier for me, and it adds a touch of interest.**


	2. Rising Fire

_Home..._

The eyes of the three seated legends snapped open at the sound of the ephemeral voice whispering through the warm air. Somewhere nearby a bell was tolling, slow and muffled. The silence was tremendous, but at the same time, welcoming—like the peace at the end of a long battle. Raikou was the first to rise to his feet, slowly and hesitantly, as if he expected his paws to be thrown out from under him at any second. Then Suicune rose, with more certainty; then Entei, who all but leapt to his feet.

The beasts marveled at the feelings of peace and fulfilment that coursed through their veins. There was no pain here. Each thought of their last memory: Raikou of his broken neck, Suicune of her torn throat, Entei of his pierced belly. None of the pain could be felt now. In fact, there was a total absence of physical sensations. Suicune had to study the ground at her feet to make sure it was really there—and even though she was floating just slightly above it, when she reached down to touch the rough floor it could not be felt.

They all felt a pleasant drifting sensation in their bellies, like the heads of ripe dandelions were giving them lift. But stronger than that was the feeling of perfect togetherness, a wonderful feeling of love and family. Standing up, Suicune looked from side to side to meet her brothers' eyes. With joyful, puppylike barks, the three threw themselves at one another with paws outstretched. They were enthralled, eager to touch and lick and nuzzle, if only to assure themselves that they were truly there, together at last.

Raikou play-bowed before Entei, his thin tail lashing from side to side as he let out a bark of overhead thunder. He waggled his haunches and panted playfully. Entei growled, narrowing his eyes in mock threat. He bounced from side to side, leaping and roaring happily at the sight of his younger brother. Suicune yipped to invite herself into the fun, weaving her body skillfully as she leapt with Entei. The three faced off in a triangle, panting with excitement and the joy of seeing each other once again. Each reared onto hind paws, and they prepared for a dog-piling crash. They leaned forwards...

...And fell right through each other's bodies.

Only then did they pause in their play to truly study themselves. They were coated with fur like winter morning mist, with only slight tints of the colors their pelts had once possessed. Each eye shone silver, and every body glowed with a ghostly aura of light. Their paws walked on wispy trails of fog inches from the ground. They untangled themselves and stood apart, studying each other thoroughly. Entei was the first to speak. His voice echoed, as if it came from some faraway tunnel. "We've...become ghosts."

"But...we're together again," Raikou offered. Entei nodded, his hazy, gray eyes warm and glowing. The two brothers stepped delicately towards each other and tried to at least rub heads. Raikou fell right through him, stumbling to catch himself. Suicune sighed, and they went back to their triangle. Their heads hung low, their fog-eyes were dull with pain.

"What good is it if we cannot touch?" she asked. "I can feel you, brothers...in my heart. But...we cannot touch."

"I feel something, though." Entei stood a little taller. "Something...beautiful. Mystical. Something I've been yearning to feel for ages now."

Suicune and Raikou lifted their heads. Yes...they felt it as well. There was something beautiful and mysterious in the air. A beautiful presence, full of love, warmth, and peace. It was a familiar presence, but none could place it. It was a tug in the heart that wrapped loving arms around one and pulled them close. They followed the pull, ghost-eyes blazing excitedly. The feeling was indescribable, and old buried memories drew them closer to find out what it was they were feeling.

In the corner of the room sat a long feather. It was a flight feather by its shape, and as the three legendary ghosts approached it, it went from gleaming red to sunset orange, to autumn gold, to summer green, to midnight sky blue, to brilliant violet, and every color ever seen before. It was a full spectrum, all brought to life by the underground room's dim lighting. The three crouched before it, eying the plume with awe and wonder.

"Ho-Oh..." Entei murmured. "Are you here with us?"

_Yes._

The feather burst with a ringing chime into a cloud of silver shards, spraying tiny rainbows all over the room in darting flickers of color. Raikou, caught up in childish excitement, let out a thunder-crash yip and chased the brightest he could find. His lean legs flowed gracefully with each leap and stride as he bounded from wall to wall in pursuit of his colorful quarry. Entei shook his great head, a smile of amusement turning up the corners of his mouth. Suicune turned her attention back to the thinning cloud of bright smoke, taking a few steps back as a precaution. Entei followed her lead, his gray eyes watching the feather-smoke intently.

The cloud grew, doubling, tripling, quadrupling—many, many times past its original size. It formed slowly, first a long, narrow beak; the beak flowed smoothly back to form a round head. Wings, massive and many-colored, spread out their thick, brilliant feathers. A tail of dozens of thin feathers streamed out behind the figure. The wings flapped once, with such a powerful gust that had Entei and Suicune been solid, it would have sent even their burly bodies crashing to the faraway back wall. The remaining smoke cleared.

Ho-Oh had arrived.

Raikou, still playing rainbow-tag, ricocheted off the wall behind Ho-Oh and slid right through the Rainbow Pokémon's solid body. He skidded to a stop between his siblings, eyes blazing happily. "Allmother! Ho-Oh, you found us!!" he cried, alternately play-bowing and rearing onto his hind paws joyfully.

"It's been so long since we felt the bond so strongly," Entei murmured to Suicune, "I'd almost forgotten what it felt like." Suicune nodded in agreement.

The beasts were humbled by the powerful presence of their creator, but at the same time, none could suppress their great love for the massive bird Pokémon. Raikou's name was the one they had all adopted for Ho-Oh—Allmother—for Ho-Oh had given them what all mothers gave their children: life. It was a blessed reunion, one that had been long overdue. Separation from Ho-Oh was even more painful for one legend than separation from the other two, and the emotional pain often drove the legends back to Ecruteak to catch a sniff of the great bird's scent. They basked in the warmth and affection radiating from Ho-Oh's body. Their ghostly eyes glowed with love and excitement, and each started taking slow, deliberate steps towards Ho-Oh.

_My children,_ Ho-Oh murmured, her red eyes soft with affection. _My poor, beautiful children...What have they done to you? _She swept her great wing down and lightly brushed the air under Entei's chin. She frowned. _My poor children._

"Allmother, we did what we had to," Entei tried to explain. His mighty voice sounded faint and hesitant. It was clear that the oldest and largest of the legendary three knew quite well how to carry himself around those who deserved his respect. "It was our only escape."

_I understand,_ Ho-Oh said, silencing him with just two words. The Volcano Pokémon nodded and sat down. Though a little more guarded than Suicune or Raikou's, his fondness for the Allmother was apparent.

Suicune took the floor next. "Allmother, you're not angry at us, are you?" she asked hesitantly. Ho-Oh shook her head. Suicune sighed with relief.

There was silence. Slowly, Entei rose to his feet and sat down at Ho-Oh's scaled talons. He nestled himself down beside her right foot, docile as a newborn Growlithe, and stretched out like a Persian in a ray of summer sun. Suicune followed, taking up a position by the rainbow bird's left foot. She leaned her head against Ho-Oh's black leg, careful not to touch for fear of falling through. Raikou trotted bouncily up and snuggled down between Ho-Oh's feet, a rumbling storm-purr starting in his wispy chest. Ho-Oh sighed contentedly and spread her great wings, then folded them around her three legendary children. The beating of her mighty heart echoed through the warm, dark hollow, lulling and calm. In the dark cocoon, the three glowed with ectoplasmic light. They stretched a forepaw out and laid them one on top of the other. Each paw fell through to land in one silver mass on the ground.

_My children,_ Ho-Oh crooned, her distant voice humming through the warm air around the three legendary beasts. The fire burning within her feathered breast was pleasantly warm. _Oh...my children. We are together at last..._

"Allmother," the three whispered, overcome by the immense joy at reunion with their creator and mother. The world had seemed so cold and hopeless until she had arrived. They had been unable to touch each other, unable to feel real. But now, with Allmother's steady heartbeat melting the ice of death, they began to feel hopeful, happy, alive. The great wings opened, and the three stumbled out, their eyes shining brightly.

"Allmother, we've come home," Suicune barked, her voice soft with awe. "We're here to stay...forever. Nothing can ever tear us away from you."

The happiness in Ho-Oh's eyes died at Suicune's words. Entei growled at his sister, angrily flashing his teeth to silence her. Allmother raised her head. _Do not snarl at her,_ she ordered. Immediately chastised, Entei snapped his mouth shut and bowed his head in submission.

"What is it, Allmother?" Raikou asked worriedly, a whimper creeping into his voice as he crouched low to the floor. "What's wrong?"

_We will not be here forever..._

The three took shaky steps back, as if Ho-Oh's words had struck a harsh, physical blow to each and every one of them. They looked to each other in confusion. How could they be separated from Ho-Oh so soon? Death was the eternal end. Had eternity passed so quickly? Entei, the bravest of the three, recovered himself first. "What do you mean?" he asked. "There is nowhere for us to go but here."

_In Kanto, and in Johto, and in many lands that I have flown over that few from here have traveled to before, there are always three,_ the Rainbow Pokmon explained. She was trying hard to keep her voice neutral, but she could not hide the hint of longing for her children to stay by her side. _Their legends come in threes. There are the three Birds of Kanto, the three Beasts of Johto...Foreign lands have three Golems and three Arbiters._**(1)**_ But now Johto has fallen from that balance, and if that balance is not restored soon, I fear that the fabric of reality may fall to shreds._

It hurt so badly, what Ho-Oh was telling them, but through the pain, they understood. They could not stay with the Allmother forever. They were needed back in the living realms to keep the balance in check. It pained them to think of leaving the breast of their mother for any reason—and worse was that they would not be able to rely on each other to fill the void. Once restored to life, they had to go back to living separate lives, only seeing each other in glimpses so brief they barely counted as meetings. They gulped, fearing that torturous detachment after such a blissful reunion.

"We...we will do what we must," Entei breathed, his voice shaking badly. He turned to Suicune and Raikou, looking from one to the other with dull gray eyes. "Goodbye...Suicune...Raikou..."

"Brother!" Suicune yelped, her voice cracking and trembling. She bounded the few steps toward him and crashed right through him. Raikou gave a wordless yip of loss, a shrill sound like lightning searing through the branch of a tree. He dropped down onto his haunches and howled brokenly, his high voice singing a keening song of sorrow.

_I am pained as well, my children, but it is the only way,_ Ho-Oh said, her long neck doubled over, the point of her beak brushing her feathered bosom. She raised her head, and gazed firmly at each of her mourning cubs. _But...there will be great solace in new life._

"How?" Raikou demanded. He slumped down, his head on his big forepaws. He was shaking his head slowly, as if he could not believe how his emotions could run from so high to so low in such a short amount of time. "What good will it be if we can't be together, Allmother?"

_You will not start out together...but you are free to rejoin if you desire._ The three legends jerked their heads up as one. Suicune stretched her long legs even longer, her silver eyes wide and shining with curiosity. Entei's mouth hung open slightly. Raikou sat bolt upright, tucking his paws neatly together. _The balance has yet to recover from your sudden deaths. You cannot be brought back into the bodies you once held, for the great power contained in those lost bodies will only tear the universe apart even faster. No...you must be reborn into bodies with much less power for the time being. Human bodies._

"We are to become human?" Suicune asked in disbelief. "Allmother, we don't know how to _be _human! All we know is how to be swift, fierce legends. We are beasts of thunder, fire, and wind—not mortals of furless flesh!" She whined softly.

"Suicune is right," Entei boomed in his hollow voice. "We couldn't possibly survive as humans. Isn't there any other way?"

_I know all this. But unfortunately, there is no other way._

Raikou stood up and turned to face his other two siblings. The look of grim determination, the look he had worn as he had spoken those final words to Suicune and Entei, had returned to his face. His eyes blazed brightly. "We have to," he insisted. "You heard what Allmother said...We cannot be legends for now. We would only hasten the destruction of it all. We will find a way to survive in the human world..."

Ho-Oh's eyes softened, and she stretched out a mighty wing towards the beast of thunder. Raikou, humble as a pup, glided towards the wing and nestled himself under it, tilting back his head. Allmother Ho-Oh let out a windy chirrup, a lilting tune that drew Entei and Suicune close as well: her Calling song. It was the sound of comfort and love to the three, and they clustered close together under her wings for one final time before they left to face the cold, unfamiliar world of the humans. Ho-Oh sang, her voice rising and falling musically—like the crackling of a young fire, like the patter of raindrops, like the singing of ice through a thawing stream. Entei joined, his voice a low, throbbing hum. Suicune took up after him, whistling brightly and softly. Raikou patted his foot in time, joining in with well-timed yips. Their voices blended and merged into a wild, joyful song that rang from wall to wall in the basement of the Burned Tower. The song grew in volume, raising small clouds of ash and loosening caked-on cinders from the walls. The ground shook rhythmically as the song reached a crescendo.

Ho-Oh spoke above the three's continuing melodies: _Now, my children, my beautiful cubs, grab one of my feathers and hope for the impossible! Pray for revival!_

Each of the three gripped one of the prismatic feathers in their fangs and tugged as Ho-Oh resumed her whistling song. Light, blinding and many-colored, surged through the small underground room, blotting out every shadow. The three legends took the feathers from their mouths and held them in fingers—fingers that joined to hands, that joined to arms. Entei, Suicune, and Raikou let out deafening roars that caused rocks to leap across the ground with the shock waves. Their bodies shone brightly, and they spiraled together, up and out of the basement room. They streaked high into the air, then peeled off in three separate directions. Each of the legends shot through the dark night sky like a brilliant shooting star.

Ho-Oh sat alone in the bottom of the Burned Tower, raised up onto her thin, black legs, stretching, reaching, after her beloved children. Before the light died, she slammed her glorious, bright wings together and let out a shrill, haunting note. The light surged brighter than the surface of the sun, then suddenly died, taking Ho-Oh with it.

All that remained was the last haunting note, which quavered in the dusty air and rang with a feeling of something unfinished.

**(1) The three Golems refers to Regice, Registeel, and Regirock. The three Arbiters refers to Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit.**


End file.
